BE+Live

Being Thankful

In this blog, Jolanta shares 60 things to be grateful for. We also encourage you to write your own list.

Workshop Model

Have you ever used the workshop model in your classes before? Connecting virtually with our students isn’t always easy, this model may give us some ideas to foster more independence and responsibility among our students while working online.

ENOUGH ALREADY!

Teachers have now been teaching online, in some places, for over 6 months. We still don’t quite know what is working and what isn’t, but here are some lessons from online teaching situations that we would like to share with you. We would love to hear from you also: what is working for you and what is not?

Formative Assessments in times of COVID

Formative assessments are more important than ever. Working in virtual situations, we wonder: “Are they really learning? Are they understanding? What do I still need to do?” Keep it simple: focus on the most important learning goals, drop the rest and talk to your students. Let them know you care and are there to help them succeed. If you’re an English teacher, make sure they are reading and writing every day.

The Use of Language: Grammar, Language Structures & Functions, and Conventions

Teaching grammar in isolation, without any meaningful context, has been found to have no significant impact on student writing. Research tells us that grammar drills can even be detrimental. The best way for students to correctly express their ideas is to ensure that they read and write as much as possible.

Morning Messages Adapted to Online learning

Many of you have probably used Morning Messages in your classrooms before. These are a great way to greet your students and let them know what will be happening today, plus they can be fun. Can we also do them digitally and interactively? In this blog, Jolanta discusses some possibilities.

Asynchronous Learning in Preschool: The Home-School Connection

There are many ways to provide resources for parents and their young children. One of the most effective could be personalized short videos to show kids what to do and how to do it. In this blog, you will find some practical tips for making short online asynchronous videos for preschool kids.

Reading Aloud During Covid

There is no doubt that reading aloud to your children or your students has many benefits at all ages, even when they are teens. Experts tell us that children who are read to aloud also perform better academically. In these critical times, the emotional benefits of reading aloud to children are even more important. Jolanta also shares some tips to make read-alouds more effective.

Online classes at the Preschool Level

It is hard to find anyone who would disagree about the difficulties that parents of young children are facing with online learning. Should young chiodren be exposed to all this screen time? Are they learning ? How can I, as a parent, balocnce my work time with supportig jy child? Am I becoming a teacher too? In this blog we begin to examine some of these issues beginning with tips for online classes and some easy props.

Promoting Teacher Competence in Times of Covid

Researchers tell us that there are four predictable stages in acquiring any new skill. Knowing about these stages allows administrators, Coordinators, and coaches to better support their teachers in becoming “unconsciously competent” in virtual learning situations.

Figuring Things Out! (Part 2)

Ongoing ways of gathering data about student engagement and understanding are crucial to ensure that students are really learning. Research tells us that surveys and discussion forums are paramount. There are also several apps that can provide the feedback you need to” figure it out”.

Figuring Things Out!

Teachers are used to on-going formative assessments in their classrooms. Expert teachers can gauge if their class is “getting it or not” by students’ non verbal cues. In a virtual environment, everything changes and we need to think about other ways of figuring out if our students are really understanding and learning.

Uplifting Thoughts and Phrases for the School Year – that began today in the strangest of circumstances

Today was the First-Day-of-School in your virtual classroom. Our thoughts and good vibes went out to you! We hope it went well. Please do remember that the whole BE+Live team is here to support you, to help you be successful. Do not hesitate to contact us if you are stuck or just not sure about something. In today’s Blog, we include a series of uplifting phrases and thoughts for you to ENJOY!

A Communication, Action, Reflection Cycle makes Teacher-Teacher Relationships Work

What are the best ways for teachers to effectively work together? As we think about starting a new virtual school year, most of us need to communicate with Spanish and specials teachers so that our students have the best online environment possible.

Become the Teacher your Virtual Students Need – Part 2

This is Part 2 of becoming a great teacher for your virtual students. Ensure that your planning focuses on three components: student knowledge, ability or skill and concept. Students as well as their parents need to be aware of the learning outcomes.. and don’t make your meetings too lengthy!

Become the Teacher your Virtual Students Need

There are many great English teachers in all of Latin America.Teachers who had differentiated classroom, who worked with flexible groupings, did mini-lessons and were familiar with growth vs. fixed mindsets. They used BE+LIve or other systems. They were very successful. Now they are facing a new challenge: how to capture students’ interest and pull them into lessons, at a distance, on a screen.

5 Ways to Make Vocabulary Instruction More Effective

When readers know many words, they can read more complex texts. There are many ways to help our students build up their vocabulary. Research tells us that the most important one is by doing lots of reading. Be sure that you do not teach vocabulary in isolation, much less have students copy out dictionary definitions. Engage students in peer discussions and provide the scaffolding they need to be successful.

Taking Care of Yourself and Your Dear Ones

We are challenging you to 14 days of mindfulness. No, it’s not meditation or Zen. It’s simply taking care of yourself so that you can better face the challenges of tomorrow. Read all about it in our BLOG below.

Taking Care of Yourself over Vacation Time – with “CRAAP”

Taking care of yourself can be more than healthy food, exercise and Mindfulness. It can also involve being careful with the news and information you receive and pass on to others. CRAAP can help you do that!

Getting Ready for Group Work. Yes, on line!

Online group work is not going to be very easy in distance learning or even in a blended learning situation. There are ways to have an effective learning community where the goal is to have a positive classroom environment where all feel welcome and all engage in meaningful learning. Start off with such tried out tips as “i’ve Never Done this” or “Weird Things for Sale” .

Communication Skills in times of a Pandemic

In this blog, BE+Live provides school owners, principals, coordinators and teachers with some tips to ensure effective internal and external communication with all school stakeholders: engage, plan, be flexible, communicate regularly, be creative and pick up the phone. We also ask readers to let us know what topics or ideas would be most helpful.

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